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It's a big week in movies for Jennifer Garner

Jennifer Garner has two movies opening Friday: the family-friendly, PG-rated "Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day," which seems guaranteed to be pleasant, and the R-rated "Men, Women & Children," which could make you leave the theater thinking about how much time you spend online.

Jennifer Garner is a talented actress (and metro Detroit's favorite visiting spouse now that Ben Affleck is here for filming of "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice"). She has two movies opening Friday: the family-friendly, PG-rated "Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day," which seems guaranteed to be pleasant, and the R-rated "Men, Women & Children," which could make you leave the theater thinking about how much time you spend online.

The latter film, directed by Jason Reitman ("Up in the Air," "Juno"), is about how social media have merged with the personal lives of teens and adults alike, creating new minefields in emotional geography that is already difficult to map.

Reitman has assembled an interesting cast — Adam Sandler, Judy Greer, Rosemary DeWitt, Dean Norris and Ansel Elgort included — and explores timely issues such as the true meaning of intimacy and the value of privacy.

But it's Garner whom we're most interested in seeing. Ever since her turn as an empathetic doctor in "Dallas Buyers Club," it has been clear that we need more of her special blend of intelligence and essential goodness on the big screen.